Macross Untold Stories Volume I
by aikiweezie
Summary: The original Macross Series left a lot of room for interpretation. These short stories will attempt to fill some of the voids with some possible scenarios. Please read & review.
1. Default Chapter

This story takes place on the Saturday following Rick's rescue of Lisa from the Mars Base.  I always thought her suicide attempt was handled far too nonchalantly.

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Since its escape from the gravity mines on Mars Base Sara, the SDF-1 had been under a constant barrage of fire from alien ships and battle pods.  With its main engines damaged and the fold system inoperative, the battle fortress was still in Mars orbit, unable to escape.

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Commander Roy Fokker had been keeping a close eye on his newly promoted subordinate, and "little brother." Rick Hunter.  Since Rick rescued Lt. Commander Lisa Hayes from the base, moments before it exploded, Rick had seemed troubled and distracted.  Roy knew why, and was wondering when he would feel that he needed to talk.

He was just about to get up from his desk so he could join his fiancée, Claudia, for an early dinner, and hopefully, a quiet evening alone, when he heard a knock on the door.  He growled his annoyance when Rick Hunter stuck his head in the door.  "Not the best timing," Roy thought to himself.

"Commander?  I was wondering if you had a minute."  Roy looked at his watch.  He had about 45 minutes to spare, and was intent on not keeping Claudia waiting, yet again.

"I can spare you a few, what's up, Rick."

Rick's uneasiness was immediately evident to Roy. "Can we talk about something – _off_ the record?"

"Uh, sure.  Have a seat."

Rick closed the office door behind him and sat down in the chair next to Roy's desk.

"Something happened, that I need to talk about.   It involves a superior officer.  I don't want to get…. this person… in any kind of trouble, but I really need to talk about this.

"Okay.  Go on."

"When I was ordered to go in and pick up Lieutenant Commander Hayes I was told it was because she wasn't responding, and was probably hurt or trapped.  Well, she _wasn't _hurt _or_ trapped.  After I busted through some walls I found her sitting in what looked like personnel quarters on the base.  She didn't look injured, and so I told her to get in, that the reactor was about to overload so we only had a couple of minutes."  Rick looked down at his hands, and took a long pause.  He wasn't sure how to explain this, or if he should continue.  He was about to sully a superior officer's reputation.  He decided to go on, since he could trust Roy's counsel and confidentiality.  The incident had been haunting him ever since, and was if he couldn't get past it soon, was in danger of affecting his performance.

"She ordered me to get out and leave her there.  She was…crying, I think, and trying to detach her helmet.   She said something about not wanting to go back.   I grabbed her and she got all hysterical, screaming…something, maybe a name, I don't know.  When we got back to the ship she ran off as soon as I put her down.  I know that's not what was on the report, there was no jammed door that she was stuck behind, but I didn't know _what_ to write."  Rick paused, knowing that fabricating mission reports was a serious offense.  He waited for Roy's reaction before continuing.  Roy didn't say anything; he just raised his eyebrows at Rick, wanting him to continue.

"I should have talked to you first, _I know.  _There was no _heroic_ rescue, and I certainly don't deserve a medal of valor," Rick laughed bitterly and shook his head.  "I carried her out of there, against her orders, against her will…literally kicking and screaming."  He leaned forward in the chair putting his elbows on his knees, running one hand through his hair.  Roy could see that the incident deeply bothered Rick. Even as a child Rick was sensitive and empathetic, but he had trouble managing his feelings, and would sometimes "act out," out of frustration.   He was relieved that Rick decided to talk to him about this.  Roy wondered to himself if Rick's difficulty sorting through his emotions resulted from growing up without his mother in the picture.  "Pops" Hunter was a good single father, but he wasn't one for discussing feelings.

Rick sat back up, looked at Roy and continued, agitated, "Why would she order me to leave her there?  Why would she want to _kill herself?_"  Rick slumped into the chair and shook his head.  "I haven't seen her since, and I'm relieved.  I wouldn't know what to say or do.  I'm sure she's avoiding me.  She's probably worried that I'll report what really happened."

"And I'm sure she's grateful you didn't.  Listen, Rick.  You know I've know Lisa almost as long as I've known Claudia, so I'll fill you in on a few things that, like everything we're talking about, is off-the-record, got it?"

"Got it."

"And I'm only telling this so you can put her actions in context.  Karl Riber, Lisa's fiancé was stationed on Mars base and was killed along with the rest of the crew a few years back.  According to Claudia, Lisa was in his quarters when you found her.  Lisa insisted that Gloval let her go down there to check out the signal, hoping to find him alive.  When she didn't, I guess she had some kind of break down."

Rick reacted as though an electrical jolt was sent through his chair.  "Fiancé? The "Ice Queen" had a boyfriend?  I find that hard to believe……"

Roy shook his head, annoyed by Rick's immature response.  "That's a pretty dumb thing to say, Rick.  You don't even really know her.  She wasn't always …so…..,"  Roy paused looking for the right word.  "…distant, whatever.  Frankly, I feel kind of sorry for her.  Maybe now that she has some closure, as far as her fiancé's death goes she can move on, maybe find somebody else."

Rick thought for a moment before replying.  He laughed and said,  "Hey, maybe Garcia is right.  All she needs is a good….."

Roy gestured with his hand that Rick was going to far.  "Well, maybe."  Roy laughed and pointed his finger at Rick.  "You know, you guys, you _especially_, Lieutenant," Roy poked his finger into Rick's chest, "shouldn't give her so much grief.  You have an example to set.  Ease up on her for a while, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll try," he replied laughing.  Rick turned serious again.  "What about what happened down there?  Do you think she's…stable?"

Roy thought for a moment before answering, "Do stable people try to kill themselves?  Probably not.  I dunno.  I'm not a shrink.  I wouldn't want to see her loose her job over this unless her performance is affected.  She's a good first officer and that she knows this ship better than anyone, Gloval included, and I've never worked with a better defense coordinator."

Rick shook his head in agreement.  

"I wouldn't worry about it too much, Rick.  Claudia knows what really happened down there.  Lisa told her.  She's keeping a close eye on her and if she starts acting strange, _at all_, she'll talk to her, and if necessary, have Gloval handle it."

"What would you do if you were me?  What should I do when I see her?"

"Follow her lead.  Don't say anything about it unless she does first.  And if she does say something play dumb about everything I told you.  Remember.  This conversation never happened."

"Of course.  Thanks, Roy."  Rick stood up.  "I've gotta run.  Minmei's birthday party is tonight."

"Oh, that's right!  Have fun, little brother."

Just as Rick's hand touched the doorknob, Roy called out, "Hey Rick, Lisa was the one who recommended you for the medal.  Thought you might want to know that.  Maybe it was her way of saying 'thanks.'"

Rick didn't respond.  He looked back at Roy with a very confused look and continued out the door.

   
Roy leaned back in his chair and looked at his watch again.  He had another 15 minutes before he was supposed to meet Claudia, so he decided to run to his quarters for a quick shower before joining her at one of the small cafes in town.  
  


  
Claudia Grant just sat down at the table for two in front of the window of "Café 9," a small French/Fusion café overlooking Macross City's Central Park, when Roy came running through the front door and plopped himself down in the chair opposite her.

"Hey flyboy, you're on time!"

"You say that like its unusual." He replied, out of breath.

"It is."  

"So, how was your day?" 

"Shitty, but at least everybody and every_thing_ came back in one piece."

"That's nice to hear for a change."

The server came and handed them both menus and took their drink orders.

"Rick came to see me right before I left."

"He did, huh?  I was wondering when that would happen."

"Me too.  He knew what Lisa was trying to do.  He was pretty upset about the whole thing.  I gave him a little background on her situation, and I think he understands.  He won't say anything.  He's not the gossiping type.  How's she doing, anyway?"

"Better than I thought she would be.  I think this whole experience might actually help her to get on with it."

Roy looked up from his menu and asked, "Tell me, honestly, do you think she's stable?  Was this just an isolated thing or is she in real danger of loosing it?"

"I don't know.  I _hope_ it's just an isolated incident, but the girl obviously has some 'issues.' to work through.  She told me that when she got to Karl's quarters, and saw his things, it was just too much for her to take.  Maybe if she had a more than a few minutes to let go she wouldn't have done what she did.  She feels really bad about putting Rick in that situation."  Claudia sighed and opened her menu.  "I really worry about her sometimes.  She was back on duty today and she really did _seem_ okay.  I'll keep an eye on her, though, I promise."

Rick Hunter left Roy's office and headed back to the pilots' quarters to pick up his new subordinates Max Sterling and Ben Dixon, who, much to his chagrin, were also invited the party.  Apparently every pilot that ever ate at the restaurant had been invited.  Every _male_ pilot, that is.  He knew for a fact that Lieutenant Tracy Lieu frequented the restaurant, but had not received an invitation.  It annoyed Rick that Minmei seemed to greatly prefer the company of men to women.  She had a few girlfriends, but they didn't seem particularly close.  They were more like an entourage than a group of friends, following her around telling her what a fabulous singer she was, how cool her clothes were and asking her to introduce them to her pilot friends.  

Max and Ben weren't back to their quarters yet, so he sat down in the lounge area to wait for them.  He found his thoughts drifting yet again to the incident on Mars.   So Lt. Commander Hayes had a dead fiancé, huh?  Maybe she built the "Iron Maiden," personae to protect herself, or cover up for pain.  Roy was right, she did seem kind of sad.  If all she had was her job, than maybe focusing on it what she had to do to get by.  Apparently, though, given her actions on Mars, it wasn't enough.  He decided to ease up on the "old sourpuss" for a while, and maybe even try a different tactic with her.  He thought back to the time just a few weeks ago when he and Miller were trading wisecracks on their way back to the ship after a patrol.  She didn't know it, but he was watching her reaction on his screen.  She was smiling to herself at their banter.   Her whole face changed for a minute and she looked really cute, sexy almost.  Rick resolved that his next personal assignment was to get Lt. Commander Hayes to smile more, and maybe even laugh. She already hated him, and thought he was nuts, so what was the harm, right? 

"Lieutenant Hunter, are you ready for the big event?"  Rick jumped, startled out his deep thought.  Ben Dixon, large in body and voice came bounding into the lounge with Max Sterling following quietly behind him.

"Uh, yeah, I guess."  Replied Rick as the three young men headed out of the lounge.

Unfortunately for Rick, Max and Ben, the three young pilots were called back to duty as soon as they got to Minmei's party when Khyron began another assault……

After getting off duty Lisa returned to her quarters.   As soon as she walked in the door she kicked off her shoes and headed into her bedroom.

"I think I pulled it off pretty well today.  The last thing I want is for Claudia, or even worse, Gloval, recommending I go for therapy or something like that.  Talking about this to some shrink isn't going to help.  I've got to get through this, myself, somehow.

_I wonder why Hunter didn't put the truth in his report?   It can't be because he's protecting me.  He doesn't even like me.  Maybe he wants something in return?  He's can be such a jerk sometimes, but I don't think he's the blackmailing-type.  I hope don't I run into him any time soon.   What would I say?   "Thanks for preventing me from committing suicide, Lieutenant?  Thanks for falsifying your report to cover my ass?"  He must think I'm a nut case.  Great.  Now he really has no reason to show me any respect or follow orders._

Well, Lisa, this is your life.  It's not what you wanted but considering this is all you've got; you better make the best out of it.  Next time the girls ask, if they ask, I'm going out with them.  You're certainly not going to make any friends sitting at home by yourself."

She was too tired and depressed to go to the officers' mess so Lisa changed into a pair of sweats and began foraging around in her kitchenette for something to put together for dinner.   In the back of the cabinet, behind a box of pasta she discovered an unopened bottle of red wine that Vanessa had given her on her last birthday.  She wasn't much of a drinker, except for a glass of wine when she went out, which was rare, but she decided that maybe a glass or two would help her relax.   While her dinner was cooking Lisa poured herself a glass and sat on the couch.

After taking several drinks, she held the glass up to the light, appreciating the wines color.  Her father was a connoisseur of sorts and their estate had a huge wine cellar.  

Sometimes, even though she was little, her father would take her down to the cellar with him to help him select a bottle to go with dinner.  He'd even let her taste just a little as long as she didn't tell her mother.  Her mother…. she was a wonderful cook, and would spend hours in the kitchen preparing amazing dinners for parties, or even just the three of them.  That was, at least, until she got sick.

Lisa took a deep sigh and threw her head back to rest on the back of the couch.  She barely remembered her mother.  Images mostly, and some feelings.  She was a warm, beautiful, intelligent woman, and a gifted pianist.  Lisa remembered her mother playing the piano, her beautiful dark hair hanging down her back, and her long fingers on the keys.  She wanted her daughter to share in her love of music, and so she began teaching Lisa to play at the age of three.  Even though she was every bit as gifted as her mother, Lisa lost her desire to play after her mother's death.  She continued taking lessons for several years, at her father's insistence, but her heat was no longer in it and she stopped playing as a teenager.

The memory of her mother getting ready to greet her husband on his return from a deployment came to mind.  She would spend hours getting herself and Lisa ready for his return.   She remembered sitting on her mother's bed watching her get ready, styling her hair and putting on her makeup.  She could vaguely remember her mother's perfume.  She wanted so much to be just like her, but ironically, she turned out to be just like her father instead.  It was almost easier for her to follow in his footsteps that her mothers'.  She didn't know if she could ever measure up to her mother's memory, so she didn't try.  

Lisa felt tears forming in her eyes and so she decided to stop thinking about the past for the time being.  It was too painful.   She had spent the last few days crying about Karl, reliving her childhood yet again wasn't going to help matters.

She stood up when the microwave beeped and felt a warm sensation through her body.

I feel more relaxed already.  Thank God I'm not on call tonight.  I suppose there's nothing wrong with having a drink every now and then.  Maybe it'll help me sleep better.

Lisa removed her linguini marinara dinner from the microwave and brought it back with her to the couch.   She clicked on the TV to watch the evening news and poured herself another glass of wine, her third.

Back to the café….

After dinner Roy looked at Claudia who was staring vacantly into her coffee cup.   "What wrong, babe?"

"I was just thinking about Lisa again.  How much do you know about her relationship with her father." 

"A little bit. He's not a bad guy, really.  I get the impression that he's very protective of his "little girl."   I know for a fact that he _hated_ Riber.  Not at first, but as soon as he started expressing his anti-war sentiments Hayes was more than happy to sign his transfer papers to Mars." 

"I never knew that!  I _know _Lisa didn't either.  She told me that her father liked Karl and was angry because he left her to go to Mars.  It must have driven him nuts that Lisa was so adamant about being with him. "

"It did.  She kept putting through transfer requests and he kept blocking them.  She's never forgiven him for that, but I'm sure he thought he was doing his best to protect her."

"So I guess he won't be of much help to her when we get back to Earth, huh?"

" I wouldn't count on it.  Not unless they have some kind of reconciliation.  Why don't you tell the girls to ask her to go out with them next time?  She really needs to get out more."

Claudia sighed and scrunched up her face.  "They stopped asking because she never says, yes."

"Well give her a nudge.  Now stop worrying about Lisa, she'll be fine."  Roy stood up and offered Claudia his hand.  "Now let's get out of her and go back to my place while it's quiet."

Is this the beginning of Lisa's drinking problem?  


Will Lisa and Rick ever discuss what happened on Mars?  


To be continued……

  



	2. Chapter 2

Just what the world needs...another interpretation of what happened on a certain "Rainy Night," right?

Well, I couldn't resist and here's my version, for what it's worth.

Please read and review. Feel free to throw suggestions as to what might happen next - some of us can't seem to agree on how far their relationship went. I'm still trying to figure that out myself, so I'm open to suggestion.

By the way - I don't own Robotech, Macross or any of these characters.

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"Commander Grant. Oh, hi, Rick. Yes, she's here. Okay, I'll tell her. Uh, huh. Sure. Bye."

Claudia smiled as she hung up the phone and looked at Lisa who was staring back at her in disbelief, her mouth agape. A little over two hours ago she found Lisa standing in the rain outside Rick's place. She couldn't convince Lisa to go ring the bell, so she invited her over to her place for a drink and a chance to dry off – and talk.

"You're kidding," slurred Lisa.

Claudia knew Lisa had a low tolerance for alcohol even though it didn't stop her from occasionally attempting to drown her sorrows in liquor. Claudia hoped that maybe Lisa was loose enough because of the wine they had been drinking to finally be honest with Rick about her feelings for him.

She wasn't surprised when Rick called looking for Lisa. Kim called her earlier and told her about Rick's antics that morning, and what Vanessa told him about Lisa's feelings for him.

"Nope. Your flyboy will be here shortly. Now do me a favor. When he gets here, get out of here, okay? I want to have a drink with this guy," she said gesturing to the picture of Roy on the end table.

Lisa was nursing a strong buzz from the three glasses of red wine she had consumed in a attempt to numb herself from the angry and hurt feelings over her exchange with Rick. She also felt guilty about the way she acted when she saw Rick and Minmei together the night before. Rick had every right to be nasty to her on the bridge when he reported to her. He had no idea why she behaved the way she did. He didn't know that she was in love with him, and probably thought she was being an overbearing, control-freak. Worst of all, she ordered him to pursue Khyron even though she knew he was exhausted. She put him at risk because of her jealousy.

Lisa could feel her face flushing and her heart pounding. Why did he want to see her, _now_? It was almost 11:30 p.m. Didn't he have to work in the morning?

She stood up and realized just how affected she was by the wine when she had to grab onto the arm of the couch to keep from falling over.

"What does he want?"

"What do you think he wants? Probably the same thing you want. To get all this…." Claudia gestured wildly with her hands searching for the right word, "**Stuff….** between the two of you straight." Claudia glanced out the window and saw Rick approaching. She walked over to Lisa who was pacing in front of the couch, put her hands on her shoulders and looked into Lisa's eyes. "Honey, learn from Roy's and my mistakes, and be honest with him. Before it's too late."

Lisa broke Claudia's gaze and looked to the floor, "I'll, I'll try."

Claudia sighed loudly in exasperation and went toward the door.

"Well good evening, Rick! What great timing. Lisa was just leaving." Claudia handed Lisa her jacket, purse and a box of tea and pushed her toward the door and Rick.

"Claudia, hold on a minute!" Lisa realized that she probably looked awful and decided to run to the bathroom and try to pull herself together. "Rick, I'll be right back."

Rick looked around the room. He saw an empty bottle and a half –empty bottle of wine on the coffee table. Claudia seemed fine but Lisa looked like she had a few too many. Her hair was a mess and her face was flushed. And she was giving Claudia weird looks. He began to think maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

At first neither Claudia nor Rick said anything while Lisa was gone. The silence was uncomfortable, so Rick decided to break the ice by saying something about the rain. Before Claudia got the chance to reply, Lisa returned. She picked up her coat and purse, gave Claudia a quick hug and whispered "thanks and goodnight." Claudia whispered back "be careful." Lisa pulled back and gave Claudia a puzzled look before she realized what Claudia was talking about. Lisa could feel her cheeks getting red.

Lisa and Rick left the house and stood under the awning outside the front door while Rick opened up his umbrella.

"I didn't realize it was still raining so hard."

"Rick, we need to talk."

"Yes, we do. That's……that's why I'm here. Do you want me to call a cab? This umbrella isn't that big"

"No, no it's okay. I kind of like walking in the rain. Where are we going anyway?"

"Why don't we go to my place? It's closer than yours, but I'm afraid I don't have anything to offer you."

"That sounds fine. And I have just the thing…." She said as she held up the box of cinnamon chai tea Claudia slipped her on the way out.

Just then the rain intensified, falling in horizontal sheets, and drenching them both. Rick took Lisa's arm and picked up the pace. By the time they arrived at Rick's place they were both soaked.

Rick opened the door and let Lisa go in while he shook off his umbrella. "What am I doing?" he asked himself before stepping inside and taking a deep breath. One look at Lisa and all his trepidation dissipated.

She was kicking off her shoes in the small tiled entryway with her back to him. Her hair was hanging in loose waves down her back and her clothes were clinging to her in all the most flattering places. He stood in the doorway looking at her for a moment before saying, "Lisa, do you want a pair of my sweats or something so you can get out of those clothes. You're soaked."

Lisa walked into Rick's living room and put the tea on the end table.

"That would great, thanks."

Rick walked over to Lisa and picked up the tea.

"I'll make us some of this here tea to help us warm up. There are some clean sweats in the laundry basket on my bed. Help yourself."

Rick headed into the bathroom to change into a pair of Jeans and sweater, a pale blue sweater Lisa gave him for his last birthday before heading into the kitchen.

Lisa walked into Rick's bedroom, turned on the light and shut the door behind her. She leaned against the door and began to think about what she would say, and how she would say it. She couldn't just tell Rick she was in love with him. What if he didn't feel the same way? Maybe he wanted to talk so he could tell her he wasn't interested in her, romantically, that is. No matter what Claudia's advice was, she just couldn't handle rejection, not tonight, wine or no wine. She would tell him _something_ about her feelings for him, but unless he showed some sort of sign that he felt the same way, that would be all. She looked around the room. The poster of Minmei was gone. "Well," she thought, "that's a good sign." As she began to undress the fact that she was in Rick's bedroom, changing into HIS clothes struck her as odd. She had been in his bedroom before, cleaning, secretly hoping to be back someday…in his bed. He was attracted to her wasn't he? After all, he had occasionally shown her affection, hugs and kisses on the check. What if he kissed her tonight? Would they end up back in here? Was she ready for that? What was Claudia suggesting with her "be careful," anyway? Even though she found Rick intensely attractive she wasn't sure if she was ready for _that_. Rick's knock on the door jolted Lisa from her thoughts.

"Lisa, did you find something to wear?"

"Um, yeah, I'll be right out."

While Lisa was changing Rick was nervously pacing around his kitchen. What was he going to say to her? "I have feelings for you? I care about you? I _like_ you? Oh, God, no! Vanessa said Lisa's in love with me. But do I love Lisa?" Rick Hunter knew one thing for sure, he was still haunted by memories of their kisses.

Lisa came out of the bathroom wearing a pair of Rick's blue sweatpants and a gray t-shirt. She walked over to the couch and sat down, putting her feet underneath her and her hands in her armpits. She was shivering. Rick put two cups of tea on the coffee table in front of them and sat down next to Lisa. He put his arm around her, rubbing it vigorously. " Isn't that better?"

Lisa laughed, and cuddled up to Rick.

"Yes, it is, thank you. " She turned so she could face him and rested her head on the back of the couch."

"I'm sorry about yesterday, Rick"

Rick took a sip of his tea and looked at Lisa coldly. "You should be. You could have gotten me killed."

Lisa sat up straight, ready to argue, but only for a moment. He was right. Sure his performance that morning was meant to hurt her, but it was in direct response to Lisa behaving so strangely the day before. Warning him not to engage in amateur heroics, and letting his feelings cloud his judgment. What was she thinking? And he was still angry with her for recklessly ordering him to pursue Khyron when she knew he had been in action all day.

Lisa sat up at looked Rick directly in the eyes. "You're right, " she slurred.

They sat there motionless for a second before Rick said, "What's going, on, Lisa? You've been acting so weird lately." He was hoping that the fact that she was obviously a little drunk would give Lisa the courage to speak her mind.

She picked up her tea and took a drink. "Be honest with him. Before it's too late." Claudia's words rang in her head. Lisa took a deep breath. Good _thing_ for the wine because she doubted she would have the nerve to go on otherwise.

"Rick, again, I am so sorry about the other night, there is _no_ excuse. That was totally unprofessional, and, well, just stupid. But…. but…the reason I've been acting so, so, weird, like you said, is that…. I…. "(TELL HIM!) She looked up and looked deeply into Rick's eyes, barely able to go on and continued, barely above a whisper, "I really…..(SAY IT!) _care_ about you Rick. I let my feelings for you get in the way, and yes, you could have gotten hurt, or worse because of that. I was the one being reckless, Rick. I'm sorry." She stopped and looked down at her hands. Rick thought he saw tears forming in Lisa's eyes.

Wow. Vanessa was right. Well, sort of. Lisa didn't say she was in love with him. Rick moved closer to Lisa and pulled her gently into his arms, telling her honestly. "Lisa, I care about you, too."

Rick rested his face against Lisa's hair. It smelled so good, and she felt so good in his arms. _Careful Hunter_, he thought to himself. "And I'm sorry for what I did this morning. I acted like an idiot. I'm surprised you even wanted to talk to me tonight, let alone come back here."

"I deserved it." Replied Lisa, laughing as she wiped her eyes.

"No you didn't. I should never disrespect you, especially in front of other people like that. It may not seem like it sometimes but I respect you more than anyone else, honestly. You _mean_ more to me than anyone else. Lisa, our friendship is the most important thing in my life. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Wow" Lisa thought, "_friendship_." Not a word she wanted to hear tonight. But he did say he cared about her and that she was important to him. Very important.

The two of them sat there, holding each other for a few minutes, privately struggling with what to say next. Lisa pulled away and sat up so she could look directly at Rick. "So what do we do now?"

Rick reached up and brushed some hair out of Lisa's eyes. "Well, for one, I think we should spend more time together. Get to know each other better on a more…..personal level, I guess"

Lisa blushed, "I would like that."

Rick put his hand on Lisa's chin and lifted her face so he could look in her eyes.

_Oh, God, Rick what are you doing? Don't you know I want you so badly it hurts? But not if you're not all mine. Not if I'm just a friend…..._

"Rick, what about …."

"Minmei? What about her? We never see each other. I haven't spoken to her in months, and besides she's with Kyle now. She's just an old friend. End of story."

_Those green eyes are so beautiful and those lips…just a kiss, Hunter. Control yourself._

Rick leaned in toward Lisa until his lips were no more than an inch from hers. He raised his eyes, again looking into hers for a reaction. When they closed he knew, and he kissed her slowly, and tenderly. Her lips still tasted a little like the red wine she was drinking earlier.

Rick unconsciously slid his hand on to the small of her back pulling her closer. He could feel Lisa's heart pounding against his.

Lisa reached up and put her hand on the back of his head, opening her lips, deepening their kiss – their first _real_ kiss.

Neither one of them expected it to feel so good, or so right. Perhaps too good, and too right -- and too fast. They were entering dangerous new territory. Rick slowly pulled away first, but only by a second, and opened his eyes. Lisa's lips and cheeks were flushed red, and she was breathing heavily. She looked up at him seductively and smiled that slow smile of hers that drove him crazy.

Rick smiled at her in return and said, "I've wanted to do that for the longest time."

"Then why didn't you?"

"I thought you'd probably smack me."

"No. In fact, I've _wanted_ you to do that for the longest time."

"Really?" Rick replied, genuinely surprised. "Well then how come you never….." Rick knew the answer to that and didn't want to bring Minmei up again. Not now. "Oh never mind." He couldn't think of anything else to say, and so he leaned in again, placed his hand on Lisa's neck, and gently pulled her closer, kissing her again.

This kiss was deeper and much, much longer then the previous one. Lisa moved closer to Rick putting her hands on his shoulders, pressing her chest against his. Rick moved his hands down placing one on her hip and the other on her thigh. Lisa reveled in the fact that she felt things happening to her body that she thought were a thing of the past. She hadn't felt this good, this excited, this aroused since her last night with Karl. She ached for Rick to move his hands and touch her all over. "Be careful," suddenly Claudia's words entered her mind again. Yes, this is what she was taking about. Lisa knew if she didn't pull away now, she wouldn't want to stop, and that would be a bad idea.

This time, when Lisa pulled away, Rick moved his lips to the lower part of her neck and she let out a quiet moan, biting her lower lip to keep herself from screaming. She lowered her hands to Rick's chest and gently pushed him away, laughing.

"I think we should take things a little more slowly in that department, yes?" She said as she pushed her hair behind her ears, avoiding Rick's gaze. Rick knew she was right. It was too soon in their changed relationship for any more "activity" that night.

Rick reached and took Lisa's hand holding it in this lap. "Always the voice of reason, Captain."

"Hardly." Lisa laughed. "You had no idea, did you? Really?"

"What? That you were…. _attracted_ to me, had feelings for me."

Lisa broke Rick's gaze again, slightly embarrassed. "Uh huh."

"No. I guess us pilots really are bone headed like everyone says. What about you – didn't you know?"

"That you're attracted to _me_? Maybe. There were a few times where I thought you were checking me out, or where things were…. _awkward_ between us. I know you've been a good friend, fun to be with. You make me laugh – most of the time. You know, I……" Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something bouncing off the metal roof of Rick's house. "What's that?"

Rick got up and looked out the window. The weather had taken an ugly turn. "Hail - sleet. It's pretty bad out there." He turned around and looked at Lisa. "Why don't you stay here tonight?"

Lisa thought for a moment before answering. What was he asking, exactly?

Rick ended speculation by saying, "I'll take the couch."

"Oh, no you won't. I'll take the couch."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'd rather. Really." Sleeping in Rick's bed, especially with him in the next room would be strange to say the least.

"Okay, then." Rick went to the closet and pulled out an extra blanket and pillow and brought it over to Lisa. "It's late and I'm on duty tomorrow. I think I better try and get some sleep."

Lisa stood up and took the blanket and pillow from Rick. "Well, uh, goodnight."

"Goodnight."

They gave each other a quick peck on the lips before Rick headed into the bedroom and closed the door.

To be continued……


End file.
